New Toronto Tenant Union takes on Financialized Landlords
By John Wilson
On April 18th, 300 tenants from across the GTA gathered to found the Toronto Tenant Union (TTU). Its mission: “to fight hikes, win housing justice, and protect our homes.”
Two of TTU’s largest components, the York South-West Tenant Union (YSWTU) and Toronto Climate Justice have strong track records in taking militant action against real estate investment trusts (REITS), corporate landlords, private equity firms and serial “renovictors” and winning victories..
In 2023-24, YSWTU organized the largest rent action in Toronto’s history with 500 tenants striking for nearly 16 months against Dream Unlimited and Barney River Investments. Victory was reached with lower rents, compensation to reflect the significant repair backlog and, unprecedentedly, the YSWTU was made the official liaison between the tenant association and the landlord.
Ricardo Tranjan, Ontario Research Director at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and author of The Tenant Class reports in Canadian Dimension that
Québec has two province-wide tenant coalitions—the Front d’action populaire en réaménagement urbain (FRAPRU) and the Regroupement des comités logement et associations de locataires du Québec (RCLALQ)—both formed in the late-1970s in a manner very similar to that of the Toronto Tenant Union. Notably, the Québec media treats these groups as the primary political interlocutors for tenants, much as it treats labour unions in economic development and employment matters.
In Toronto where almost 50 percent of the population rents their home, tenant groups are seldom allowed to articulate their collective political stances. Sappy stories of poor tenants and apolitical policy debates are tiresome and unhelpful. We are much better served by honest political discussions about the inherently conflictual nature of land and the housing built on it.
The TTU is a new, democratic, and unapologetically political voice in housing debates. If given the airtime it deserves, the union can elevate clear-eyed, grounded stances that cut through the fog of wonky debates.
TTU could provide an alternative analysis to the pro-corporate drivel that dominates housing “discussions”. Not surprisingly, none of the capitalist parties have even mentioned the possible role of the public sector. They’re too busy giving tax breaks, only to those that don’t need them. The HST exemption for first-time buyers which will mainly enable sellers and contractors to raise prices yet again, is an example. They do nothing to stop speculation in the real estate market, which is fine with their cronies and donors in the private sector. No restrictions on the parasites buying as many units as they can (often on credit) and then recovering their costs and more with extortionate rents.
In fact, massive housing projects have only been built by the public sector, as with post-war Britain’s first Labour government, and in Venezuela (3 million good quality units) under the Chavez government.
The distribution of Housing is really a class problem. 173 years ago, Friedrich Engels commented that the private sector has no solution to the housing problem and no interest in finding one.
But Capitalism Can’t be Fixed (CCbF), a cross country movement formed by volunteers from the two socialist campaigns for federal NDP leader has demands that would lead in the direction of eliminating the private sector from housing. Here is what they say in the section of the program entitled Housing For All:
“Under Canadian and international law, access to adequate housing is a human right. Despite this, our basic need for shelter has turned into a vehicle for financial extraction, creating a severe housing crisis that renders housing unaffordable and in short supply. Tens of thousands of Canadians live unhoused across the nation, while millions pay exploitive rents beyond their means…. The government must declare a state of emergency over housing to gain the authority to ensure housing serves the public good instead of profit maximization. Our imperative is to build a de-commodified housing sector that sets the floor for affordability and quality. The intention is for homes to the people who live in and maintain them.
Convert 200,000 REIT Properties Into Housing Co-operatives
For a Public Housing Revolution to annually build 200,000 units of social and co-op housing each year, with a prioritization of vulnerable populations such as people experiencing homelessness, refugees, domestic abuse survivors, people with disabilities and students.”
Accomplishing all this may be a long and arduous struggle but it can be done.
All of us on the left should support the new Toronto Tenant Union and Capitalism Can’t be Fixed movement and be ready to join solidarity actions with them, as a start.